Regina's Christmas Stocking
by callietomyarizona
Summary: When Emma finds out that Regina has never had a Christmas stocking, she spends the next eight months gathering things that she know will make Regina smile.


Written as part of the Swanqueen Advent Calendar Collection! Go check out the other fics that were written and all the wonderful artwork! Just search Swan Queen Advent Calendar 2019 on archive of our own :)

My prompt: _Emma finds out from Henry that Regina doesn't have a Christmas stocking and has never had one. So, she decides to make one for her and fills it with the most amazing things she can think of._

I haven't had a chance to proof read this as it turned out to be much longer than I intended and I'm in my final year of uni which has been taking up the majority of my time so apologies for any mistakes.

Happy holidays everyone! :)

* * *

"Your mum has really never had a Christmas stocking?" Emma just looks at her son in shock, mouth slightly agape. She'd known that in the Enchanted Forest they'd had a similar holiday of the Winter Solstice and from what she'd been told by Mary Margret and David in particular. She'd been told of the exchanging of presents, decorating of trees and even kissing under mistletoe so she'd just assumed it everything was the same and it just had a different name; but apparently not. "Not even during the curse?"

Henry shakes his head "She made sure I had one, but I never made her one back and there was no other adult in our lives who could make one for her."

"Hmmm…" Emma thinks, looking off into the distance as she wonders what she could put in a stocking for Regina.

"So, this is where my favourite people have been hiding" The former evil queen says with a smile as she walks into the sitting room to see Emma and Henry sat on the sofa.

"Come and join us mum!" Henry says, his smile matching hers and both he and Emma open their arms and Regina climbs in between the two and gets wrapped up in their warm embrace.

Emma places a soft kiss on the brunette's cheek which Henry sees "Ew ma! Stop being gross!"

The blonde sticks out her tongue in mock protest "There's nothing gross about me kissing your mum, Kid. Tell him Regina!"

"I don't need to see it!"

"I'll remember you think kissing is gross and I'll make sure to tell Ava when I next see her."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me. I'm the sheriff and your other mum is the mayor, I'm sure she'll listen and stay away if I warn her."

"Muuuuuum! Please don't let Emma do that!"

"Make me" Emma says with a chuckle and Henry launches himself over Regina to tickle his ma. He managed to catch the blonde by surprise, putting her at a disadvantage. Unable to form any coherent words, Emma just laughs as his slender fingers tickle her, his recent growth spurt helping him to stop her from managing to tickle him back.

"I swear I'm surrounded by children" Regina mutters under her breath. She's not upset though, and her face is plastered with the smile that is almost permanently there since she and Emma started dating. She never thought she'd be here, surrounded by a girlfriend and their son with everyone happy. It's everything she ever dreamed of since she was a little girl; a loving family.

"Jeez kid, when did you get so big! I swear it was only yesterday you were the little squirt who showed up at my apartment door!"

"I'm not a little boy anymore! I'm almost a man!"

"You'll always be my little prince, Henry. You should know that by now" Regina fondly interrupts their playful arguing.

"But I'm several inches taller than you mum! I'm not little any more, no matter how high the heels on your shoes are!"

"I don't care how tall you are Henry, you will always be my little prince and you won't be able to change my mind."

"You'll still be kid to me, kid" And all Henry can do is pout.

He opens his mouth to argue but the look in his mother's deep chocolate eyes tells him not to even bother. He loves both his mums, but they are both as stubborn as each other which made getting them to date a challenge but all the years he spent into pushing them slowly together had been worth it, even if it meant they ganged up on him sometimes. He wouldn't change anything about his family, just maybe that his mother's had got their heads out of their own arses and had seen that happiness was in front of them the whole time and there was no use in chasing after drunk pirates or old, supposed soul mates, that their true loves had been right there the whole time. They challenged each other, and yes, they still argued but now it was mostly about stupid things like Emma eating one too many doughnuts, or Regina not wanting to wear a silly animal onesie as it was 'undignified of a queen'. His mums may not have been dating long, it'll have been two months this coming May, but he knew it would last; that this was meant to be. In his mind, they were soulmates.

* * *

Henry's words still play on Emma's mind a couple of weeks later. Growing up, she'd only had stockings up until she was nine years old and she got kicked out of another foster home, and after that, she had no more stockings. It may have been over twenty years ago now, but she can still remember the joy she felt when opening the stocking and seeing what was inside.

She decides to start collecting items to put in the stocking, knowing that it'll end up being expensive, but she had over thirty years' worth of stockings, or at least eighteen from the first eighteen years of Regina's life. It'll be her first Christmas with Regina and Henry as a family, with Regina as her girlfriend and she wants to make it as special and memorable as possible as she can.

Ideas of what she can do fill Emma's mind and she grabs a piece of paper from the desk in the Sheriff's office and starts to scribble down her ideas. She keeps writing until the Police Station phone rings and she has to go and break up a fight in the Rabbit Hole before she can go and have dinner with her girlfriend and son.

* * *

May

May was when Emma learnt of Regina's hidden love for arts and crafts. She wasn't sure why she'd suggested a series of craft sessions to go to with Regina, perhaps she'd had a temporary moment of insanity. Nether the less, here she was; in the town hall with various other couples such as the likes of Ruby and Belle with a few singles scattered around. Emma felt very out of place, but she knew that Regina loved pampering herself so these few sessions of learning how to make your own bath bombs, candles and soaps was right up her girlfriend's street.

"Isn't this wonderful, Emma?" Regina had whispered in the first five minutes of the first session as her eyes sparkled with joy.

"I guess" She'd muttered back, regretting her idea immediately.

"Come on Emma, it's fun! You get to create things and put your own personal touch on them. When I came to this realm, I was able to start creating; it's not like I was allowed to back in the Enchanted Forest."

"You never told me that before"

"It's something I still feel weird about talking about, my mother instilled in me that as people in higher society, paid for people to make things for us. But when I got here, I had nothing to do and I saw Granny knitting one day on my way to work past the diner. I wasn't sure what she was doing but I found it in an encyclopaedia a couple of weeks later I found the passage on knitting and I knew it was something I wanted to try. So, I found some books in the library and taught myself when I was at home."

"Are you any good?" Emma's voice matched Regina's hushed tones, so they didn't disrupt the others as they talked. She offered the brunette a scented bottle, one which smelt like apples, and another that smelt like the embodiment of Christmas, smelling strongly of orange and cinnamon, to help her try and decide which to use on her own candle.

"I wasn't when I started, the first at least twenty squares I made were awful; filled with holes and uneven rows. But I kept trying as I didn't have a lot else to do and eventually, I got better. I knitted Henry many woollen jumpers over the years, particularly when he was younger. I also knitted his grey and red striped scarf which honestly, I'm still surprised he wears. I knitted it over ten years ago!"

"Wow" Emma's jaw dropped. "I thought that scarf was bought from a shop. You really are very talented"

Regina's deep rose lips formed a smile at her girlfriend's praise. "Maybe I'll knit you a scarf or something one day"

"I'd love that" Emma smiled back.

Before either of them could say another word, they'd been shushed by Ruby who told them to laugh quietly amongst themselves before going to start dipping the wick of what would become their candles. In the end, the blonde chose apple and vanilla, both scents which reminded her of her girlfriend. The brunette chose a floral scent as spring had just started and she wanted the house to smell like the season.

Surprisingly, Emma found herself having fun. It was particularly refreshing for her to see Regina so care free and metaphorically letting her hair down. As Regina got closer to finishing her candle; her face relaxed, almost becoming more youthful as her forehead un-furrowed, her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks began to glow. Her posture also changed, becoming less uptight as her shoulders became more at ease and her back slouching only slightly.

As Regina is busy with her candle, Emma snaps a couple of pictures of her girlfriend without her knowledge. Emma checks that the pictures aren't blurry and she smiles when she sees them.

The following week, they both returned to the town hall for another crafting session; this week was bath bombs.

Emma decided to stick to similar scents as last week, making a vanilla one, an apple one and a coconut one. Though hers were not uniform in shape and in no way spherical and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get them to look the way she wanted. Honestly though, she didn't mind how they looked as once they were in the bath, creating bubbles and gorgeous smells which remind her of her girlfriend. She planned to use her wonky homemade bath bombs and have some 'alone time' when next she and Regina were apart, which realistically would be in a night or twos time.

Regina, on the other hand, had created what Emma could only describe as the perfect bath bomb. They were either perfectly spherical or flower shaped, with the petals different colours from the centre. Some of the spheres were spotted and others were striped. As per her personality, her scents were bold; using tea tree in some and a strong lavender which paired beautifully with an orange in others.

Once again, when Regina was creating her bath bombs, all the stresses of the week just melted away from her body and Emma couldn't help but look at her and smile. The older woman was in her own little world as she created her masterpieces with her tongue poking out slightly as she did so, which just made her look adorable in Emma's emerald eyes.

After the success of the candle and bath bomb making sessions in March, Emma and Regina vowed to do at least one craft a month together, sometimes including Henry if he wanted to take part so they could do more things as a family. It was then that Emma found the first thing she would do for Regina's Christmas stocking and started a list in her notes of things she'd do for it. The first item in her list:

_\- mini crafts for de-stressing Regina eg cross stitch, knitting for preemie babies etc_

* * *

June

The two women went on a romantic weekend away to Boston. Emma was excited, if not a bit apprehensive, about showing Regina around where she used to live. Before coming to Storybrooke wasn't necessarily a time she wanted to remember; it was a time in her life where she was completely alone. She had her work and that was it until Henry showed up at her doorstep and gave her a family.

They'd been walking down a street after a romantic meal, hand in hand which was something they had yet to do in Storybrooke as their relationship was still being kept a secret apart from Henry, Zelena, David and Snow. Neither of them felt comfortable with revealing that they were dating to the small town so early in their relationship. They didn't want to deal with people's opinions and wanted to figure out their relationship at their own pace. There was a chill in the air and their breaths created miniature clouds as they talked.

"Look!" Emma called out, laughing as she jumped in front of Regina, stopping her from walking. "I'm a dragon!"

Regina rolled her chocolate brown eyes but laughed at her girlfriend.

"You're a dragon too!" Emma laughed, pointing at the breaths that came out of the brunette's mouth.

"I am no such thing!"

"What's wrong with being a dragon? They're awesome! Maybe I'll tell Mal that you're so against dragons…" Emma's voice almost childlike. "Mal has taken me flying a couple of times and she-"

"She did what?!"

"Took me flying. She's transformed into her dragon and taken me flying over Storybrooke and it was absolutely magical."

"I'm going to kill that woman…" Regina muttered under her breath.

"I'd like to see you try!" Emma taunts.

"Do you not think I can take her?"

"Of course you can dear, but Mal is strong too. And I'd hate to see you get hurt" The blonde's voice changed, dropping an octave before sultrily whispering in her girlfriend's ear "And if you're hurt; then we can't do some of my favourite things…"

Her words shot something to Regina, not one for public displays of affection, grabs at Emma's face and crashes their lips together. Emma's hands snuck up to Regina's soft curls and pulls onto them, eliciting a moan from the brunette, as their kiss intensifies.

The pair only pull apart when some lads, around twenty years old, walked past and started to shout at them all at once.

"Can we join in ladies?"

"Give us a show!"

"Blondie! Come over here and suck on my cock!"

"Come back to our house and we'll show you what real sex is like"

"Get over here and sit on my dick you hot piece of ass. I've always wanted to fuck a spick."

As the men got closer, Emma and Regina began to fear for their safety. Without their magic, they felt a bit helpless. As the man who called Regina a 'hot piece of ass' reached to grab at her wrist, something inside Emma snapped and she lost it.

"Back off you, sick fucks." She protectively puts her arm around Regina's waist as she swats the young man's arms away. "Two women kissing are not for your entertainment. The sooner you learn that, the better." Without another word, she dragged Regina away from the group to the sound of their heckles and cat calls getting quieter as they got further away. Honestly, she had been surprised that they hadn't followed the two of them but she just assumed that they were too busy taking the piss out of each other to care. Maybe they hadn't been expecting them to stand up for themselves and were too pissed to think quickly enough to come up with a response before the two women had left.

Noticing that her girlfriend hadn't said anything, Emma pulls her into the first building that's open, a quaint antique bookshop.

"Baby?" She asked softly "Are you okay?"

"I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't do anything" Tears started to fall from Regina's mocha eyes and Emma pulls her into a tight embrace "I felt so powerless… I felt like I did when Leopold made comments about me in front of all his friends…" She sobbed into Emma's shoulder.

Emma was unsure of what to do apart from hold her girlfriend close to her and whisper soothing words into her ear "It's okay baby, they were arseholes. We just need to ignore them." She paused for a few seconds before continuing "If I could, I'd go back and punch Leopold for ever making such crude comments about you. I promise that I'll never treat you like that baby".

"Excuse me?" The elderly shopkeeper asked "Are you okay, miss? Do I need to call the police?"

"We're okay, thank you. Sorry" Emma stumbled, trying not to upset Regina further. The shopkeeper nodded and left the two women alone.

The brunette takes her head off Emma's shoulder and see's where they are, her jaw dropped slightly, followed by a small smile spread across her lips. What she saw was shelves upon shelves of antique books, all attractive deep colours on their covers and the smell of old books in the air. "It's beautiful in here"

"Not as beautiful as you" Regina blushed. "Did you want to have a look around, baby?"

"You hate bookshops. And reading. Why am I dating you again?"

"But I know you love bookshops and I'd do anything to make you happy."

"How kind of you, my Knight." Regina's voice was still weak, but more playful and relaxed than it had been when they entered the bookshop.

"Lead the way then, my Queen." And with that, hand in hand, Regina looked around the bookshop with Emma in tow, smiling at the brunette's joy.

The blonde kept squeezing her girlfriend's hand lovingly, to try and make her feel more relaxed. She knew that even though she was in a bookshop, Regina's idea of her own personal heaven, the young men earlier had really shaken her up. Despite the former queen's earlier outburst of tears, Emma knew that she's was still bottling a lot of her feelings up as they were still in public.

Emma has an idea as her hand was in front of her as Regina lead her around the shop. She remembers seeing pictures on Instagram of girlfriends leading their partners to different destinations and knows that this is something she wants to do. With the brunette engrossed in looking at the variety of old books, Emma whipped out her phone and snapped a couple of pictures, as she tried to make it look as good as she can without drawing Regina's attention to her secret photos.

Around half an hour had past of Regina in her own little world as she picked up books an added them to her pile and honestly, Emma was beginning to feel bored and wanted to get out of the shop. "Is it alright if I just get these?" She asked meekly, though there was a smile spread across her lips.

"Of course, gorgeous"

"Thank you for letting me drag you around for so long, I know that bookshops aren't really your thing. But I find them calming… And I really needed that today."

Emma just leans over and pecked Regina lovingly on the lips "How about we go pay and then we can head back to the hotel and run ourselves a nice warm bath?" she whispered in the brunette's ear, which elicited a soft moan in response.

"Did you ladies find everything you were looking for today?" The shopkeeper asked as they approached the till.

"Not quite" Regina responded, "But I've found some books I've been looking for for years."

"What couldn't you find?" He asked kindly.

"A first edition Winnie the Pooh. I've been looking for it for a while, but I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"If you'd like, you could leave an email address or something and if we get it in at any point then I can contact you and let you know?"

"That'd be wonderful"

Regina paid for her books and wrote down her email in a notebook along with the title of the book and with one last thank you, the two women left the shop.

"Hang on!" Emma said "I left my jacket on the counter. Let me just go back and get it." And without another word, ran off into the shop.

"Back for your jacket?" The gentle old man asked, a glint in his eye.

"Yes. And I'd also like to put my email down instead of my girlfriends so that I can buy her the book as a surprise if you ever get it in." Emma's heart started beating faster in fear that Regina would catch her.

"Yes, yes of course" He smiled and handed Emma the notebook. She crossed out Regina's carefully written email and scrawled hers in underneath as neatly as she could.

"Thank you so much" She said with a grin before she waved and left the shop to re-join her girlfriend.

They spent the rest of the evening and well into the night wrapped in each other's arms as Emma tried her best to erase the harsh words that had been spoken to them earlier. Before the two got into bed and spent the night cuddled up, Emma opened the notes in her phone and made a note of the name of the book to her list of things for Regina's first Christmas stocking:

_\- find a first edition winnie the pooh_

* * *

July

Saturday night rolled around, and Emma completely exhausted. Due to the busy schedules of Sherriff and Mayor, they decided to set a night a week, which was currently Tuesdays. Saturday nights were now family nights where the two of them could enjoy some time as a family. Henry was spending alternating weeks with each of his mothers and kept dropping hints since he knew they were dating no matter how many times his mums told him not to.

Emma sprinted down main street, late for her dinner with son and girlfriend. She'd walked to work in a fit of over enthusiasm and was now heavily regretting her choice. That was until she passed the jewellers, seeing something that was perfect for Regina's Christmas stocking.

Lit only by the street light outside the shop was one necklace in particular that caught her eye. On a thin silver chain, hung a swan pendent which she knew would be perfect for Regina, looking perfect against her caramel skin. Embedded down the neck, breast and stomach was a row of small diamonds with a larger diamond in the centre of the body.

Not only would it look beautiful around Regina's neck, swans were important to Emma so giving Regina a swan to wear was Emma's way of saying 'I love you' without actually saying it. They'd only been dating four months, but Emma knew she loved Regina and she had for a while now. It was too early to say it in their relationship but by Christmas, Emma definitely would have told her and wouldn't feel embarrassed by offering her heart to Regina.

She stopped daydreaming about Regina wearing the necklace and nothing but the necklace when her phone started to ring. She smiled when she saw Regina's picture pop up.

"Hey baby"

"Where are you Miss Swan?"

"What? No hello for me?" Emma chuckled.

"I just wanted to know where you are. If you're going to be much later then Henry and I will have to start without you, and I've made lasagna and garlic bread"

At the mention of her favourite dish, Emma started sprinting, making a mental note to come back to the show on Monday to buy the necklace. "I'm sorry, I had to finish up some paperwork" She pants, already out of breath.

"I wish you'd let me know, then I could have delayed dinner. You'd better hurry back if you want it warm"

"I'm just round the corner, I'll see you in a few"

"Okay then dear" And with that, Regina hung up.

Emma made it to the white mansion in record time and knocked on the door as she struggled for breath. When Henry opened the door, he saw his mother red in the face and panting like she'd just run a marathon.

"Yay you're here Ma! Now we can eat… Why do you look like you've just sprinted the length of town?"

"Because I basically have" She panted.

"Why?" His nose crinkled in confusion.

"Because your mum said the two of you would start eating dinner without me and I know how you are when it comes to lasagna and garlic bread. It must be something you inherited from me."

"Well, mum's lasagne is the best"

"Are you going to come inside Miss Swan? Or are you going to keep on letting a draft in?" Regina called from the kitchen.

"Come on Ma, I want to eat! I'm so hungry my stomach might start eating itself!"

The dinner was perfect. The food was delicious and talking to her son and girlfriend made Emma feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like she was home. Like she had a family; something she'd been wanting her whole life. They shared playful banter and when Regina brought out a cheesecake, Emma's heart swelled up with so much love she thought it might burst.

Once Emma and Henry had eaten as much as they could possibly fit into their stomachs, they put their plates away in the dishwasher and cleaned up the table before the three of them sat on the sofa to watch a film. Henry sat on one end of the sofa claiming to be 'too old' to cuddle with his mums. Regina sat in the middle of the sofa with Emma's head on her lap and absentmindedly runs her fingers through her hair as they watch the film. It had been Henry's turn to pick the film and he'd chosen Spiderman into the Spiderverse, a film he'd watched too many times he'd lost count but still loved nonetheless.

If Emma could purr, she would have. One of her favourite things was someone playing with her hair or plaiting it. She'd never had anyone to do her hair growing up so to her, it felt as if it was the most special feeling in the world. With Regina's steady breathing and her slender fingers twirling strands of silky blonde hair at a leisurely pace, Emma's eyes began to feel heavy and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next thing Emma was aware of was Regina's soft voice in her ear "Emma?" She just groans and nestles her head further into the softness and warmth of Regina's lap. She was just enough out of slumber to feel a blanket over her shoulders which she pulled over her face to cover her eyes from the harsh light of the room. She rolls over and fell back asleep surrounded by the two people she cares for most in the world.

When she next woke up, light was streaming in through a crack in the curtains and hit her across the face. She looked around, not recognising the room she was in. As she looked around, she realised she was in Regina's room, in Regina's bed but with no recollection of how she got there. She was still wearing her t-shirt and sports bra, though her jeans had been removed.

The space in the bed next to her was still warm and she could hear Regina's voice coming from the shower in her en suite as she hummed. A smile spread across Emma's face and she shuts her eyes again and buries her face in the soft duvet, surrounding herself with her girlfriend's unique scent which makes her body feel all warm and tingly with happiness.

Upon hearing Regina enter the bedroom, the blonde forced her eyes open. Once her eyes refocus on the room surrounding her, she was greeted by the warm smile of her girlfriend.

"How did I get here?" Emma asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

"You fell asleep when we were watching our film last night and when I tried to wake you up, you just curled up on my lap like a little cat and no matter how hard Henry and I tried to wake you up, you wouldn't. After a while, we gave up and I carried you up the stairs then-"

"Wait a minute, you carried me? Up all those stairs? And didn't drop me?" Emma's jaw dropped, completely shocked.

"I'll have you know that I'm stronger than I look, Miss Swan." Regina said playfully.

"You'll have to show me sometime, when I'm awake that is Madam Mayor."

"Oh I will one day, but now; you must go to work. And I think you need to get moving, Sheriff. If you don't get up now then you'll be late" With a satisfied grin, the former Queen picked up her clothes and returned to the bathroom to put on her clothes away from her girlfriend's prying, though welcome, eyes.

Checking the clock Emma swore under her breath and jumped out of the bed. She threw on her jeans and sprinted out of the house as she shouted goodbye to Regina and Henry.

On her lunch break, as she walked back from Granny's, she made sure to take a detour via the jewellery shop.

A bell above the door rang as she walked into the shop, alerting the shopkeeper to her presence. "Ah, Sheriff Swan. What can I help you with today?"

"I'd like to buy the swan necklace in the window please"

"Of course, right away. For anyone special?"

Emma started to panic. Their relationship wasn't a thing that had been public, and the town certainly wouldn't be finding out like this.

Thankfully, her phone rang meaning she didn't have to answer the question. It was David on the other end, letting her know that once again, Pongo had managed to escape. As he was filling her in on where he'd last been seen, she paid, thanked the shop owner and left the small shop with a smile on her face and heads off to find Pongo for what felt like the millionth time.

As she walked to the beach, she reflected on just how much she spent on a necklace for her girlfriend and how much more she was going to end up spending just to make her girlfriend smile. Besides, she had over thirty years of Christmases to make up for and she was going to spare no expensive if that's what it took. She couldn't put a price on Regina's happiness.

* * *

August

"Why can't we go on holiday this summer? Just the three of us? As a family." Henry asked one day as the three of them were in the garden, enjoying a rare day of sunshine. Regina had been tending to her flowers, Henry sat on the grass as he read his comics and Emma had been making a maze for a worm she'd found out of twigs.

Emma looked up from her worm maze "I don't know Henry, I guess I just forgot we could leave the town?"

"Maaaaa! How could you forget! You haven't even been in Storybrooke that long!"

Emma's cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

"Yes, Miss Swan, why did you forget that you could leave this town?" With a smirk plastered across her girlfriend's face, Emma's cheeks darken a shade or two.

"I've got everyone I need here so I don't need to go anywhere. This is the first time I've had a proper family to spend a summer with, so I guess going elsewhere never crossed my mind."

"Awe Ma, you're being kinda gross" Henry teased, though his tone was playful.

"That's really sweet Miss Swan" Emma smiled at Regina's words and their eyes met across the garden. Time seemed to stop until Henry decided that they were being too 'gross and mushy' and was determined to get a holiday away from Storybrooke.

"So then mister, where do you want to go?" Emma playfully asked him.

His reply was instant. "Disneyland!"

Regina looked at him, eyes wide with shock and horror, whereas Emma's eyes lit up with a childlike excitement.

"We are definitely going!" Emma said.

"We are most defiantly not going to Disneyland!" Regina said at the same time.

Both women looked at each other, horrified at the answer the other had given.

"But Ginaaaa" Emma moaned, pouting as she did so. "Disneyland is meant to be the happiest place on earth and its somewhere I always wanted to go growing up…" She trailed off as her girlfriend scowled at her. "Please?" Her voice was quiet and soft.

"I am not going to Disneyland to be surrounded by lies and Snow White being presented as an innocent princess. Plus, they got my story all wrong – why would I want to go there?"

"Fine then" Henry grumbled, a scowl forming across his lips. He knew where his mum was coming from, but he had always wanted to go to Disneyland. "Where do you want to go then Mum? As the three of us. As a family." His face changed from a frown into the cutest smile he could muster. He may not be a little kid anymore, but he could still charm his mothers by pretending he was.

"Since the curse, I've always wanted to go to Italy and Greece and see the historical sites." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"No offence mum, but that doesn't sound like my idea of fun" His voice had a teasing tone to it.

"Well where else do you want to go young man?"

He thought for a second "The Grand Canyon. And L.A.! I want to go an see if we can see any celebrities."

"Now that sounds like an idea that I can get behind, the Grand Canyon more so than celebrity hunting."

"Both of those options sound good to me" Emma smiled. She made a mental note to look up holidays to Greece and Italy for just her and Regina.

"So… Can we go over the summer holidays?"

"I'm afraid not, my little prince. I need to work…"

Henry's face drops. "Oh… When can we go?"

"What about next April? It shouldn't be too warm, but it won't be cold." Regina countered. "I know it's a long way away, but we could always do smaller trips until then." She paused and smiled "As a family."

"As a family." Emma repeated. "I love the way that sounds."

"Can we go to New York? And Boston? I want to see where Ma used to live."

"Then I'm sure the three of us can go to Boston and New York on a long weekend trip before that."

If Henry's smile could have gotten any wider, his face would have split wide open. "Yes!" He punched the air.

Later that evening, when Emma was sat in her bed, she started to google things to do in Italy and Greece that would interest Regina the most. Knowing the brunette, she'd want to do everything but realistically, they would have a week there, two at most. She'd always wanted to visit Spain and Paris, so she also opened tabs on good places to visit in both of those places.

She made notes on her laptop of things to do in Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum. She would have made more notes, looked at more places to visit but as the clock struck midnight, she decided to stop looking at places to visit and go to sleep. She sent a text to Regina, saying good night and made a couple of notes on her phone on her list of things for Regina's first Christmas stocking.

\- _Plan trip to to Italy and Greece_

\- _Look into going to Spain and Paris_

With a smile on her face, Emma fell asleep before dreaming of going on holiday with her girlfriend and their son.

* * *

September

As their 6th month anniversary got closer and closer, Emma began to get more and more nervous. She'd never been in a relationship that had lasted this long, not a serious one anyway and was unsure of what they should do to celebrate.

She'd discussed it at great length with Ruby. Well, she'd talked at Ruby, who just sat there and listened, unable to get a word in edgeways as the blonde paced in front of her. After a good twenty minutes of Emma spouting elaborate ideas for what to do, Ruby finally gave up and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and gave her a good shake to snap her out of her frenzy.

"Emma!" She shouted, shaking the woman. "You don't need to do anything fancy. From what I've heard, Regina appreciates the small things you do. After you left a bouquet of flowers in her office, she didn't stop smiling for the rest of the week. You don't need to woo her; just show her you care her."

"I'm just worried that she'll think I'm not trying…"

"She won't think that. I can guarantee it."

Emma stopped pacing and started to think. "Hmmm… Maybe we could cook together. I really like it when we do that" A smile formed on her lips and her emerald eyes became dreamy as she thought of cooking with her girlfriend.

"Well, then why don't you do that? Make your favourite meal and do something you enjoy doing together."

Inspired, Emma started thinking to herself out loud "Well, we made lasagna together a couple of weeks ago, so I guess we can't do that again… Hmmm… Ooh! We could make homemade pizzas, that way Regina can make hers as healthy as she wants to, and I can put as much unhealthy stuff on mine and she can't complain! Then we could take a romantic walk on the beach at sunset, before coming home and snuggle… or you know…"

"Fuck like wild rabbits?" Ruby interjected.

"I was going to put it nicer than that but essentially."

"Well then, that sounds like you're sorted then. I just wish anyone I've dated was half as romantic as you are Sheriff" She said flirtatiously.

"You'll find someone, Ruby. Just you wait." Emma hugged her best friend before heading back to work with a spring in her step.

When the big night rolled around, Emma was nervous once again. She hadn't told Regina any of what she'd planned, wanting it to be a surprise. She knocked on the door to the mansion with apprehension but when after three knocks, Regina hadn't answered, her nerves were replaced by high levels of anxiety.

She rang her girlfriend's phone and when she received no answer, after the second time she decided to pick the backdoor lock, away from prying eyes, and let herself in to try and find her girlfriend.

She had barely made it two meters inside the house before she heard Regina cough her guts up and sneeze what must have been about seven times in a row. Without a second thought, Emma sprinted up the stairs two at a time until she reached the brunette's bedroom.

Regina sat in the middle of the bed with the duvet pulled up to her chin, which made her look incredibly small in comparison to her large bed. Her nose was red and raw and next to her was a bucket and boxes upon boxes of tissues.

"Emma" She croaked. "You weren't meant to see me like this… I was trying to get better for tonight, but my magic won't work… It doesn't seem to work when I'm sick…"

"Don't be daft Regina. You should have told me. I was knocking but when you didn't answer, I got really worried that something had happened…"

"But, why are you here?" She managed to get out in between coughs "You are meant to be here tonight…"

"It is tonight, my Queen" Emma said as she sat down on the bed next to her sick girlfriend.

"No, it's not… It's only…" Regina stopped as she looked at the clock on her bedside table "Oh…"

"It's okay. We can do something else tonight if you want and if that's sit in bed then that's what we'll do."

"But I ruined your plans…"

"Then I'll make new ones. It's okay baby. Please don't fret about it."

Regina went to argue but Emma glared at her and she shut her mouth without saying a word.

"Now, what's wrong with you?"

"I feel sick and I keep sneezing and coughing. Plus, I keep going from boiling to freezing."

Emma placed a light kiss on her girlfriend's slightly clammy forehead. "My poor sick baby"

"Don't kiss me Miss Swan" She coughed "I'll make you sick."

"Well you're worth getting sick over Mayor Mills." She kissed her once again.

"I'm not meant to be sick. Not tonight. Not ever."

"Well you are sick, and we can't change that. So, when was the last time you ate and had something to drink?"

Regina's face distorted in thought "I think it was yesterday morning? I had breakfast with Henry before he went to school."

"Regina!" Emma playfully slapped her girlfriend, though her face gave away just how worried that made her. "You need to eat! Especially when you're sick." When brown eyes couldn't meet green ones, Emma took her hand to Regina's chin and gently cupped it. "Right Madam Mayor this is what is going to happen. You're going to take a nap whilst I go and make you my favourite get better soup and then you're going to eat that and some bread. Then, we will sit together, and you can sleep, or we can talk or do something else, whatever you want."

Too weak to protest, Regina complies and put her head on the pillow and Emma kisses her lips lightly before walking out of the room. When her hand touched the door handle, she heard Regina speak in a voice laced with sleep, clearly not realising she was speaking out loud. "Emma taking charge is hot... I think I'd like it if Emma took charge in bed one day... I had some really lacy underwear for tonight… I even bought one of those fake phalluses Emma spoke about for tonight…" The next noise she made was a snore and Emma left the room with a smile on her face.

An hour and a half later, the soup was cooked, and Emma headed back up to the bedroom to feed Regina. She'd learnt to make the soup when she was fourteen after she'd been sick and had been given it by her then foster mother. Once she was well again, she asked to learn how to make it and had committed the recipe to memory. It was only a simple chicken soup with Emma's personal favourite; alphabet pasta. The stock was bursting with carrot, celery, garlic and onion, topped with spring onion. With lemongrass, rosemary and ginger to help fight off sickness, this was Emma's go-to sick food.

As she looked around Regina's kitchen for ingredients, Emma had never been more thankful for the Mayor having a full pantry. The only thing that was missing was alphabet pasta. Regina had other pasta, of course, but not alphabet pasta and Emma thought that was non negotiable so poofed herself over to her room at Snow and David's where she had some alphabet pasta stashed under her bed. She was back within two minutes and just to be on the safe side, walked as quietly as she could up the stairs before opening the door to see Regina sleeping peacefully, her mouth was open slightly and snoring due to her blocked nose.

Back in the kitchen, Emma turned on the radio and for the next couple of hours, she danced around the kitchen with the comforting smell of the soup filling her nostrils. She'd never had anyone to make this soup for anyone but herself. Even when Hook had been sick one time and had asked her to make him something but instead, had just gotten him a tin of tomato soup. But now, she had a family; a girlfriend and a son, not to mention her birth parents and a bunch of friends that she could consider her family if she wanted to.

Once the soup was finished and cooled enough to eat, toasted some of Regina's home-made bread before plating up and as carefully as she could, carried two portions of soup and toast up the stairs. She put the tray down on the bedside table and crawled onto the bed.

"Wakey wakey beautiful" The blonde shook her girlfriend lightly to rouse her from sleep, her voice not more than a loud whisper.

"What?" Regina's voice was thick with sleep and clearly congested from her cold. She opened her eyes, blinking in the light before she saw Emma's face smiling over her and smiled back. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only a couple of hours"

"Well, I feel better than I did before I went to sleep."

"I'm glad"

"What's that? It smells divine"

"It's my chicken soup. It's going to make you feel better and you'll be back to running the town in no time."

"I'm not sure how much I can eat, but I'll do my best"

"There's a good girl" Regina blushed at Emma's words.

With one bowl of soup in her hands, Emma offers a spoonful to Regina who lightly blows on it before accepting it into her open mouth.

After swallowing, a huge grin erupted on the brunette's patient "This is absolutely delicious, Emma". She readily accepted more soup.

"I'm glad. This is the only thing that I can really cook unsupervised."

"Well, you'll need to make it again because I think I could easily polish off this bowl and then some."

Emma continued to feed Regina the soup and some of the toast, and once that was finished, Emma started to feed Regina alternating mouthfuls of her bowl of soup. Regina held the bowl which allowed for Emma to stroke her soft chocolatey curls. Once the soup was finished, Regina curled up on Emma's lap, almost purring at the blonde's touches.

"Did you want to do something? Or are you content just snuggling"

"I kind of want to do a jigsaw. I'm not sure why, but I've not done one in a while and I've got a sudden need to do one."

"Do you have any?"

"In my office. There's a tray in there that we could do it on in here? I don't think I have the energy to move…"

"I'll go and find you one and then we can do it together. But I'm not very good at them… You have been warned!"

"I'll help you, it'll be okay."

As soon as Emma got up from the bed, Regina felt a sense of loss which she just put down to her feeling sick. The second she heard Emma walk down the corridor, it was as if nothing else mattered. She silently reprimanded herself for acting like an excited puppy but as soon as the bedroom door opened and the blonde returned with a jigsaw tucked under one arm and a tray under the other, a sense of relief washed over her.

"Ooh, I see you went with the beach scene Miss Swan"

"I had planned for us to take a walk on the beach after cooking dinner tonight, so this is the closest thing to us sitting together watching the waves."

"I'm sorry I'm sick…"

"Stop apologising for something you can't control. Now, are you going to help me with this jigsaw or watch me struggle to put two pieces together correctly."

"Of course I'll help you, I love doing jigsaws. I used to do them all the time before the curse broke… I don't miss much about the curse, but I do miss having the time to do jigsaws.

So, the two of them sat for the rest of the evening, Regina giving Emma encouraging kisses when she got frustrated. With each kiss of reassurance, Emma gains a bit of confidence and each time she correctly put two pieces together, her lips form a huge smile.

Regina looked at Emma's smile and a feeling of warmth flooded over her body. "I love you" She blurted out.

Emma looked up, surprised by her girlfriend's outburst.

"Please say something… I'm sorry… I shouldn't have just said it. I understand if you're not ready. I'm just sick and I just couldn't stop myself from telling you. I've been wanting to tell you for a while now but each time I chicken out and I-"

Emma crashed her lips against Regina's, stopping her from talking. "I love you too" Emma said against Regina's lips. "I love you so much" She peppered the brunette's face with kisses which caused her to laugh.

"ACHOO!" Regina's head violently flew forward and headbutted Emma in the nose.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry Emma" Regina said, quickly putting a wad of tissues to her nose. "Pinch the bridge of your nose and tilt your head forwards." When Emma tried to speak, she cut her off "Ah-ah-ah. Don't try and speak now. Just pinch your nose."

"This isn't how I planned to spend tonight" Emma said through the ball of bloody tissue "But honestly, I don't mind how we spend our anniversary, as long as we are together."

Once Emma's nose stopped bleeding, they gave up on the jigsaw and vowed to complete it the following day. Regina drifted off wrapped in Emma's arms, snoring again as she slept.

Emma never knew that Regina loved jigsaws so much, so she decided to get her one as part of her Christmas stocking. But this jigsaw would be special. Regina had a picture she loved of the three of them, it was in her home office, her work office and her wallpaper on her phone. It was just a picture of the three of them at Granny's, but it was taken on the first family outing they went on once the two of them started dating. Emma made a mental note to look up websites that make jigsaws with custom pictures on tomorrow so she can order it with plenty of time for it to arrive before Christmas Eve.

She kissed the back of Regina's hair before summoning one of her headphones so she could listen to her current audio book so she could be there if Regina got worse in the night and needed her. Regina was usually the to take care of Henry or Emma when they were sick, but Emma was glad that tonight she had been able to prove that she could care for Regina. She knew her girlfriend didn't have many people who cared for her and she was happy and proud of herself that she had proved herself to be competent and good at it.

* * *

October

Emma hated business trips and a business trip on her birthday was just about the worse thing she could imagine. Now that she had a family to spend her birthday with, she actually cared about it but for her first birthday with Regina as her girlfriend, she had to spend it apart from her and their son. Since the curse broke, Storybrooke had become more integrated with the outside world meaning Emma had training sessions in neighbouring cities with other cops.

Emma woke up with a smile on her face, despite her current distance away from her loved ones. She checked her phone to find a wave of birthday texts, making the distance feel not as painful.

**Snow: Happy birthday Emma! I really wish you were here to spend the day with us all, but we are all thinking of you and I'm going to bake you a cake for when you return tomorrow. I love you, sweetie xxxxxx**

**Red: Sheriff hot pants! Happy birthday! Don't worry, I'll make sure I keep our beloved mayor happy… ;) x**

**David: Happy birthday princess! We're all missing you today, but we'll celebrate together when you're back. :-D xxx**

**Henry: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA! I'll make sure Mom doesn't miss you too much, but we may have something special planned for when you're back. But you'll have to come back soon to find out! Mom might even make you as much lasagna as you want! Miss you! :) xx**

**Her Royal Sexiness:** ** Happy Birthday, Miss Swan. I wish we could spend this special day together but I promise I will make it worth your while when you return. I may have something planned... *evil glare***

**Her Royal Sexiness: [Image Attached]**

Emma couldn't help but smile at the image. Regina was sat on her bed, propped up against her pillow, blanket pulled up to her chin with a huge smile on her face. Her hair framed her gorgeous features, which were make up free; Emma's favourite version of her girlfriend's face.

Emma wanted nothing more than to return to Storybrooke and jump into bed with her girlfriend and spend the whole day in bed watching her favourite friends and eating cake. Unfortunately, that was not an option so she dragged her body out of bed; the only thing getting her through the day being the thought of being reunited with her girlfriend and son.

After her session was finished, Emma couldn't wait to get home. However, she decided to delay her return when she drove past a Build-A-Bear and knew she had to get one for Regina as part of her Christmas stocking. Regina had been really struggling with Emma going away to her training seminars, she hadn't told Emma though and Emma knew it was so she didn't cause anyone any worry, but Henry wasn't stupid could see how his Ma being away affected his Mum. So, being the loving son he was, told his Ma and made sure he spend extra time with his Mum when his Ma was away.

It took Emma a good fifteen minutes to pick which animal for her girlfriend until she saw a golden puppy which she knew was perfect. Regina often compared her to an excitable puppy so this would be like having a mini Emma to hug when she missed her.

"Did you want to record a message to put in the bear?" The assistant asked, way too cheerfully for Emma's liking.

"Ooh, yes" Emma said, excited at the prospect. She thought for a minute about what she wanted to say but went with the most simple thing and most heartfelt thing she could say. A simple "I love you".

Message recorded Emma knew she could spend hours looking at all the tiny clothes and shoes but second she saw the sheriff's outfit complete with badge, she knew she had found the best outfit she could possibly find in the shop. Complete with an adorable sheriff hat, Emma went off to name her dog; creatively naming her Emma before leaving the shop with the stuffed dog tucked under her arm before hiding it in her suitcase before so Regina won't be able to find it until Christmas Day, before rushing home to be reunited with her family.

* * *

November

_Hello Miss Swan,_

_I am writing to let you know that the book you were looking for (a first edition Winnie the Pooh), has come into the shop._

_If you are still intersted, please let me know so we can arrange a sale._

_All the best,_

_Mr T. Carson_

When Emma read the email, her heart skips a beat and instantly replied to learn more about the book's condition and how to proceed with purchasing the book.

Later, when the transaction for the book is almost completed, Emma sat at work. It was a slow day and she was bored out of her mind, so she scrolled through her phone until an idea for another thing to put in Regina's stocking hits her.

On her phone she has an album of over two thousand photos of Regina. A lot of them were photos that Regina didn't know she'd taken but that's what made them so special. The mayor hadn't put up her walls and she looked so carefree and in Emma's opinion, the most beautiful woman in the world.

She selected her favourite images of her girlfriend, managing to narrow all of the photos to fifty before taking them down to the pharmacy to have them printed so she can pick them up on her way home.

Once home, with the photos and a ring bound book, a few bits of ribbon and other crafty bits and bobs, Emma starts her project. She sat on the bed, with all the photos spread around her and a glue stick in her hand.

With the photos spread around her, Emma started to stick them throughout the pages in the book. Around the photos, Emma wrote all the things she loves about her wonderful girlfriend in her best handwriting to make it look as neat as possible.

Regina not so secretly loves Emma's doodles that she left on her paperwork or on post it notes she'd leave around Regina's house and office to make her smile. So, around the ribbons and everything else, Emma doodled. Doodles of Regina, herself and Henry together and smiling, apples, swans, the beach, a flying pig, and a cartoon of Regina in a crown and Emma dressed as a knight complete with a shining sword and shield and a series of hearts between the two of them.

No matter how hard Regina tried to hide her love for Emma's doodles, Emma could see through the fake annoyance she used to reprimand her Sheriff for drawing on official town documents. Every time she told Emma off, her eyes would have a playful glint in them and a slight smirk across her lips.

A knock on her front door snapped her out of her creative flow. She'd managed to lose track of time completely and had forgotten she was meant to be having dinner with her parents and brother. In five hours she'd managed to stick down every photograph and write some of the many, many things she loves about her girlfriend as well as doodle on a good twelve of the pages. She hid the book and related items in a box under her bed out of the way of prying eyes before she headed downstairs to open the door to one part of her family.

"Hello Emma!" Mary Margret said, bustling past her daughter and into the kitchen to start dinner, with David not far behind. Henry walked in next and headed straight to the kitchen, followed by Regina holding a smiling Neal.

"Regina? Henry? What are you doing here?"

"Snow invited me and Henry. We assumed that she'd cleared it with you first."

"Mary Margret! Why did you invite Regina and Henry?" Emma called through into her kitchen.

Snow popped her head through the kitchen door with a smile on her face. "Because it's a family dinner, sweetie. Henry and Regina are your family so of course they're invited to a family dinner."

"What do you mean?" Emma and Regina said in unison, both with looks of confusion across their faces. They hadn't gotten around to telling Snow and David as both of them feared their rejection. For Emma, it was because she hadn't told them that she was bisexual and she knew that in the Enchanted Forest, liking the same gender was often frowned upon and she didn't want to be abandoned by her parents for a second time. Regina feared that they would see her dating their daughter as her being manipulative and that she didn't really love their daughter when she did, more than anything well, just as much as their son.

"Because we know you two are dating and honestly, I'm a bit offended that my own daughter and my friend won't tell me that they're dating."

The two women, both stunned in shock just looked at the pixie cut haired women with their jaws open. "You know?"

The look Emma's parents' faces are the physical embodiment of 'duh' which just made Henry laugh. "You two aren't the most subtle!"

"And you okay with this? With us?" Emma's voice quivered slightly as she looked back and forth between her parents.

"Of course we are, Princess." David said, giving Emma a quick hug.

"We love both of you so much." Snow gushed. "You love Emma and Regina, don't you Neal."

Neal said nothing but just smiled, which made both of the womens' hearts swell. However, that smile faded when Emma placed a quick peck on Regina's cheek. "Emma no kiss Gina. No! My Gina! Gina kiss me." Neal piped up as he wrapped his arms protectively around Regina's neck. He didn't really understand what was being said but he saw Emma put her hand on Regina's and he didn't like that one bit.

"That's right Neal, Emma does kiss Regina." Snow smirked.

"Nooooo!" Neal started to cry and scream "No fair!"

"Shhhh, it's okay Neal. You can kiss me if you want-" Before Regina could say another word, Neal placed his lips against Regina's cheek and then hid his cute little head in the crook of Regina's neck as his cheeks became flushed with colour.

"Oh aren't you my little knight" Regina said with a smile which made Neal remove his head from the safety of the brunette's neck.

"I save you Gina, from dwagons and twolls, cause I bwave and stwong."

"That's right, you are. You're my knight in shining armour." She kissed his soft, baby cheek.

Emma couldn't help but smile at her girlfriend and brother. It didn't bother her that Regina was calling Neal her knight in shining armour because she knew that she was Regina's main knight, no matter what the brunette said to her brother.

When it came around to dinner, the initial shock that her parents had known about her relationship for a while had worn off a bit. Neal had allowed her to sit next to Regina but that was only because he had insisted that he wouldn't sit anywhere but Regina's lap. If she was honest, that made Emma a bit jealous because she would love nothing more than to sit on Regina's lap with her girlfriend's protective arms wrapped around her waist.

It was if Regina could sense Emma's jealousy, when she wasn't eating, she would take the blonde's hand in hers and squeeze it lovingly. Being able to take her girlfriend's hand in front of her parents made Emma really happier and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could stop worrying now that every time she saw her parents that they would give something away and it was the best meal she'd had with her family for those reasons. They were out now, and now she wouldn't have to come up with a reason for wanting to spend Christmas with just Regina and Henry.

* * *

December

Christmas Eve approached sooner than Emma had anticipated. The run up to Christmas in Storybrooke had been crazy with people getting drunk in due to the rise in Christmas parties and preparations for the festive season. Both she and Regina had been increasingly busy, and each date had been shorter than they usual purely due to the fact they'd both been exhausted because of the extra work they'd been doing. However, both women had taken Christmas Eve until a couple of days into the new year.

Emma had been debating Regina's final present for her stocking and once every present had been wrapped in matte baby blue paper with glittery, gold reindeer on. Emma spent probably way too long ensuring that each present was wrapped to perfection, well, as perfectly as she was capable of.

There was one last present Emma had to sort; one she'd been going backwards and forwards over for the last few months. She wanted to live with Regina and Henry. Though they'd been dating for a couple of weeks over nine months, they hadn't made this big step yet. She knew both of them had had bad relationships in the past so both women were acting with some caution. Emma had planned to ask Regina a couple of times, but she chickened out both times. However, this time, Emma won't chicken out and started to write a note she'd give to Regina after her stocking.

_My dearest Queen,_

_I hope that you've had a wonderful Christmas so far (If you haven't then this will be really awkward!) and that the stocking made up for all the Christmas stockings you've missed out on._

_I'm so happy that we could spend this Christmas together and all I wish for is that we can spend many more Christmases together._

_I love you with all of my heart and I can' wait to spend our lives together._

_Would you please do me the honour of agreeing to us moving in together? Please say yes, or I might just die of embarrassment!_

_Anyway, I love you (I just thought I'd tell you again! I can never tell you that enough!)_

_Forever yours,_

_Your Knight, Emma xxxxxxxxx :*_

When evening rolled around, the three of them began to put the presents under the tree, Regina having to scold her son and girlfriend for trying to peak. "Henry Daniel Mills and Emma Swan, I swear that if you so much as look at a present funny, then I swear to god I will fireball the tree and all the presents before you can open your mouths to complain to me." She smirks, enjoying the expressive looks that washed over her girlfriend's and son's faces. Their jaws dropped and eyebrows raised at such an alarming speed that Regina was worried that they would fly off their faces.

"Regina!"

"Mum!"

They both cried out in protest and Regina just laughed and Emma could see the wicked glint which reminded her of the Evil Queen. Honestly, if Henry wasn't there, Emma would have mounted her girlfriend and kissed the life out of her.

Her thoughts of Regina dressed as the Evil Queen were disrupted by Henry changing the subject to distract his mother from incinerating all of his presents and the tree that he'd carefully decorated with both his mothers.

"Can we watch a film now?"

"Of course, my prince. Which film would you like?"

"Muuuum! What sort of a question even is that?! You know it has to be the Muppets! We watch it every Christmas Eve!"

"I don't think I've ever seen that film…" Emma was almost embarrassed at that. She'd never really celebrated Christmas as a child so she'd never seen any of the Christmas classics and it made her feel like she was on the outside looking in, as if every time people discuss certain things about Christmas, such as films, it felt as though everyone was speaking a different language to her but they expected her to understand what they were talking about.

Regina noticed the shift in her girlfriend's face and reached out to take her hand in hers and squeezed it tightly.

"You need to watch it Ma! It's the best Christmas film ever!"

"Well then" Emma smiled, determined not to let her son see her inner demons "You'd better put it on and show me what all this fuss is about then, kid"

So that's how they spent the rest of the evening, Emma in Regina's arms and Henry in front of the two of them. Regina once again absentmindedly started to twirl Emma's silky curls between her fingers which only made her nestle further into the brunette's embrace. Every time they watched television, or they were sat wrapped in each other's arms, Regina's fingers would always manage to find their way into soft blonde tresses.

Henry's upper body was swaying in time to the music as he sang along with the muppets on the screen. Emma smiled as she watched her son be so carefree and experience the childhood she wished she had had. Every so often, Henry would offer his mothers one of the snacks which Emma would gladly grab two handfuls of chocolates and biscuits and shovel them into her mouth.

Regina hummed along with Henry and the soothing purr of her voice put Emma into a trance and a tear fell from her eyes down her cheek and dropped onto her pyjama top. It wasn't a tear of sadness though, it was one of happiness. She finally had the family she'd dreamed of as a child, the perfect child and the perfect partner and what she hoped was a lifetime of holidays to spend them with.

* * *

Christmas Day

Emma woke up the following day, with her arms wrapped around Regina's small frame, to Henry jumping onto Regina's bed. She smiled as she thought back to last night and how after Henry had gone to bed and Regina was in the bathroom, she had snuck downstairs to fill Regina's stocking. Once she had filled it with all the presents she'd spent the better part of a year collecting, she snuck back upstairs and into her girlfriend's bed before she could notice she hadn't been there the whole time.

"Wake up Mom! Ma! It's stocking time!" Henry jumped up and down, the excitement was clear on his face. It was partially due to Christmas, but mostly due to spending his first Christmas with both of his mums.

"Give me a minute to wake up my Prince and then you can open your stocking." Regina's voice was heavy with sleep.

"Ok mum!" Henry was up and out of the room as quickly he entered it, leaving the door wide open behind him.

"Merry Christmas Emma" Regina kissed Emma sweetly.

"Merry Christmas baby" Emma said against Regina's lips.

Before the kiss got too heavy, they decided to get out of bed and head downstairs to their son before he complained about their absence.

"What's that?" Regina asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs and saw her stocking, for the first time in her life; filled with an overflow of presents piled up on the floor.

"Your stocking" Emma said simply, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend's waist.

"I've never had a stocking…" Regina's voice was hushed, almost unsure of what was going on.

"I know. Henry told me. I hope this is okay." Emma whispered into Regina's ear, giving it a light kiss as she did so.

"It's more than okay. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."

Before Emma can reply, Henry cuts in "Wow mum, you've got so much stuff!"

"Well, she's got over thirty years of missed stockings to catch up on." Emma said, a loving smile spread across her lips. "Come on then my two favourite people in the world. It's time you open your stockings!"

All sat on the sofa with the fireplace roaring, Regina starts to open the first Christmas stocking she's ever received. The first thing she pulled out was a satsuma which confused her until Emma explained that it was a tradition. What she didn't mention was that she'd seen it in films and not in her own experiences. Regina just laughs, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Carefully, Regina unwrapped Emma's first gift; a few of balls of wool; two a beautiful deep purple and the others a vibrant red. "It's so soft" Regina stroked her thumbs over the soft wool.

"I thought you could use it to make those baby clothes you were thinking of making for orphanage or something."

"Thank you. I can't wait to actually start making them." Their lips met briefly in a sweet kiss.

"Come on mum, you need to open the rest of them!"

"I'll go at whatever pace I want to young man" Regina's tone was playful and she quickly reached for the next gift, peeling back the cellotape with care. "Oh Emma" she gasped as the diamonds reflected off the light from the fireplace, making them sparkle like stars in the night sky.

Wanting to see, Henry climbed over Emma which ended up with him pressing his boney elbows into her bladder. Emma promptly shoved him off her lap and he landed in the space between his mothers, though almost falling off the sofa. Both seeing an opportunity, they simultaneously leaned over and started to tickle him; Emma starting at his armpits and Regina on his stomach.

"Muuuuuum! Maaaaaa" Stop it! I just wanted to see!"

"You sounded like a sheep" Emma laughed as her fingers kept moving against his armpits "Baaaaaa baaaaa baaaaa"

"Stooooooop" Tears of laughter started to stream down Henry's face and his cheek muscles started to ache.

Emma only stopped when she saw the look in Regina's eyes. She knew that look all too well. That look meant 'stop what you're doing, or you'll be very, very sorry'. Regina's glinting eyes changed to ones filled with laughter "Children, stop messing about, I want to open the rest of my stocking!"

"By all means then your majesty, continue" the blonde dipped her head in a mock bow.

"I shall" The second she sees what is underneath the wrapping paper of the third gift (the first edition Winne the Pooh) Regina gets off the sofa and jumps up and down as she actually squeals. "Oh my god, Emma!" She hugged the book to her chest, cradling it as if it was a child.

Once her excess excitement has been released from her body, Regina sat on her girlfriend's lap and whispered a sweet "thank you" in her ear.

"You're welcome, Gina"

Henry, wanting to speed up how quickly his mother was opening her gifts as he really wanted to have breakfast soon, passed his brunette mother the stocking and surrounding presents.

Still sat on Emma's lap, Regina proceeded to open the jigsaw which caused her to smile and kiss both her girlfriend and son on the cheek. When she opened the dog dressed in a sheriff outfit, Regina hugged it to her chest. Henry complimented the stuffed dog and when he went to stroke it, Regina swatted his hand away which caused Emma to chuckle. Emma knew how much this dog would mean to her girlfriend when they had to be apart, especially at night. However, if the last gift was a success, the number of nights spent alone would be significantly reduced.

The next gift was the scrapbook which Regina skimmed through, her smile growing bigger with every page she saw. The pictures, a lot of which Regina didn't realise Emma had taken, such as one of the ones Emma had taken during their trip to the bookshop.

She ran her fingers lightly over Emma's doodles of their family and the things Emma wrote that she loved about her girlfriend. She went into her own world, as if tracing over the handwritten words would erase horrible words that had been spoken to her and commit the positive words to memory. Emma and Henry didn't say anything, just shared a smile as they watched the brunette in awe.

When she realised how long she'd been silently tracing Emma's declarations of love, her cheeks flushed with colour, especially when she realised that they had been watching her. Emma could see how uncomfortable she was when she felt so vulnerable, so to distract Regina; she handed her the final present from the stocking.

Tears of joy streamed down Regina's face when she saw that she would be travelling to Italy and Greece with Emma so they could explore the ancient world she had only read about in books or seen on television. The ancient world reminded her of the Enchanted Forest, particularly the areas near where her father had been born and during the curse, learning more about that particular period of time was a great comfort to her during the curse.

"Aw I want to come!" Henry said when he saw the destination on the tickets.

"We're going to Disneyland as a family, remember? This is my chance to spoil your mum because she deserves it" This caused Regina to blush and Henry shut up and smile at his mothers.

"Henry, did you want to go put the X in the oven? We'll be through in a couple of minutes." Emma asked, running her fingers over Regina's forearm.

"Are you going to be gross and kiss?"

"Yes. So you'd better hurry away. Three. Two. One" And with that, Henry ran away as fast as his small legs could carry him. "Zero" Their lips met and both women smiled into the kiss.

"Thank you for all my presents, Emma. I don't think I've ever felt quite so loved during a holiday, even by my father. Each gift was so thoughtful and so perfect. I love them all."

"There is one more present…" Emma's heart started to pound in her chest, with such an intensity she thought it would erupt from her chest. In order to not chicken out, Emma took the letter out of her back pocket and handed it to her girlfriend.

Time seemed to slow as Regina opened the envelope and read the letter. Emma's leg was bouncing up and down which was only stopped moving as much as it would normally because of the weight of Regina's body on her lap.

Without saying anything, Regina jumped off Emma's lap and bolts out of the room "Hang on" she called back, breaking her own rule of no raised voices indoors.

Emma's heart dropped the second Regina got off her lap and although Regina had told her to wait, her mind started to spiral out of control with all the possibilities of reasons for the brunette's sudden departure.

Regina's movements were so swift, she was back in the sitting room not long after she'd left. She was giggling and clutching Emma's letter and a small present, wrapped in matte gold paper, to her chest.

Now, Regina never giggled unless she was very happy or excited, so this instantly calmed her mood and she returned the smile Regina was giving her.

"Did you forget you could teleport?" Emma chuckled.

"Honestly, yes. But let's not talk about that." She thrust the carefully wrapped present into Emma's hand "Open this"

With shaking hands, Emma carefully unwrapped her present. "Is this? Do you?"

"Articulate as ever dear." The brunette threw her head back in a melodic laughter. "Did you want to try again?"

Emma blushed at her inability to speak coherent words and tried again "Do you want me to move in?"

"I'd be honoured, if you, Emma Swan, would move in with me and Henry."

"I'd love nothing more"

"It looks like great minds think alike, doesn't it, Miss Swan?"

"It does appear that way, doesn't it my Queen"

Their lips meet and they share a gentle, loving kiss until Emma panics. "Hang on. Will Henry be okay with this? With us moving in together?"

"I didn't ask him, I didn't want him ruining my surprise, but he has been dropping hints for the last few months. I think it's safe to say that he will be excited for you to join us living here. Unless, of course, you'd rather we move in with you."

"No no no, I'd much rather live here with you both than at mine. This place is a home, my house is just a building. Plus; Henry grew up here and I don't want to tear him away from his home."

"Well then, that settles it then"

"It appears that it does."

"Now that's sorted, shut up and kiss me quickly, before we go and join our son."

"Gladly"

After considerably more time kissing than they had intended, the two women walk into the kitchen, holding hands and their fingers intertwined. "What took you two so long? I was starting to think you'd been eaten by the sofa."

Emma held the keys in line with her face by the thin metal ring and shook them with a huge smile on her face, which was matched by her girlfriend.

"Oh my god!" He cried out with glee "Does this mean we're going to live together?" When the brunette nodded, her ran to his mothers and threw his arms around both of their waists. "This is the best Christmas ever. My family is going to be together all the time"

Emma felt her eyes tear up and hugged the two of them tighter, kissing the hair on the top of each of their heads. "This is my best Christmas too kid"

"Mine too. You've amazed me with the stocking Emma; I am going to treasure everything. I never thought growing up that I would ever have anything as wonderful as today has already been. It's not just the presents though, it's spending it with my family. I love you both with all my heart."

They continued to hug in silence, a sense of calm and happiness washing over all three of them.

"So Ma, what are you getting Mum for her Christmas stocking next year?" Henry cheekily piped up, breaking the silence and both women burst out laughing.

"Honestly, no clue. You'll just have to wait and see. But right now, I want some breakfast with my two favourite people".

So that's exactly what they did.


End file.
